JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
20 
[ January 6, 1881. 
wear and tear provided they are well made at first. The smaller 
the space the more reasons there are that it should be well made, 
close in the grass, and firm in the bottom. 
In making new runs turf can sometimes be had to lay down at 
once, but unless it is good it would be much better to begin with 
seed. Last April I tried both modes, and I decidedly prefer the 
seed, as it produced a dense mass of clean grass in a surprisingly 
short time. 
Previously to sowing the seed it is well to have as great a depth 
of soil on the ground as possible. From 4 inches to 1 f jot will do 
if no more can be had. The shallower it is the richer it should 
be made, and at all depths manure is beneficial. It should 
not be placed as a layer on the surface, but be mixed with the 
surface soil. This can be done on a dry day, and when the soil 
is in suitable condition the seed should be sown. Moderately 
thick sowing will produce the best turf, and the seed should be 
raked into the soil and rolled afterwards. The last operation 
may be repeated every two or three days until the grass is ready 
for cutting, and during this time the fowls should not be allowed 
to be on it. After the grass is high enough it must be cut fre¬ 
quently, which improves a lawn quickly in the bottom. In runs 
where the surface has become uneven the holes should be filled 
about the end of March and fresh seed sown. This will give a 
fine lawn for the young chickens when turned out in May and 
June. 
When turves are placed down they should be beaten very firmly 
at the time, and rich soil underneath causes them to make more 
luxuriant growth than they otherwise might do.—J. Muir. 
PRACTICAL SCIENTIFIC POULTRY BREEDING. 
There is hardly any subject upon which opinions more widely 
differ than upon the best method to be pursued in the breeding 
of exhibition stock. This diversity of opinion is perhaps to be 
accounted for by the fact that well-known breeders have succeeded 
in producing the uniformity of excellence aimed at by apparently 
widely different methods. We say “apparently” different ad¬ 
visedly, and we trust that before we have concluded the subject 
our readers will agree with us that the difference is more apparent 
than real. 
To in-breed or not to in-breed is the question which first pre¬ 
sents itself, and when that has been decided there follow other 
questions of almost equal importance. We propose in this and 
following papers to discuss scientific breeding as applied to 
poultry and Pigeons. The theory of breeding is similar to that 
observed by the breeders of larger stock, but in consequence of the 
difference of conditions existing as to length of life and similar 
matters the practice is of necessity dissimilar. 
We do not intend to go very deeply into the scientific question, 
but rather to deal with the matter practically. It is necessary, 
however, that we should, for the benefit of less experienced 
readers, begin by defining a few of the leading terms. In the first 
place, then, what is in-breeding ? It consists (for our purpose) in 
the mating of birds which are related in blood to each other. 
The relationship may be the near, as that of brother and sister, or 
remote, a mere fortieth cousinship for instance ; but if there be 
any relationship between the birds which are mated it is in- 
breeding. “ Prepotency ” is another term which must be defined. 
It is the power possessed by a bird of stamping his or her likeness 
upon the progeny of a union to the exclusion of the likeness of 
the other parent. “ Heredity ” is the inheritance by offspring of 
the characteristics or likeness of their ancestors more or less 
remote. A “strain” is, properly speaking, a family with esta¬ 
blished and recognised points of mutual resemblance. A “breed” 
is generally understood to mean a natural division of species 
differing in certain distinct points from all other species. A breed 
may consist of several “ varieties,” agreeing in certain common 
features but differing in others. Varieties are generally artificially 
produced, or they may be produced by different climatic or similar 
influences operating upon certain individuals of a breed. They 
may also be the result of a “ sport,” which is an accident or freak 
of Nature, whereby is produced offspring differing in some impor¬ 
tant point or points from the breed or variety to which its parent 
belonged. “ Throwing back ” is a return by the offspring to the 
original or natural type of the parents. 
The theory of “natural selection” and of “the survival of the 
fittest,” to which we shall have occasion to refer, put shortly is as 
follows :—Birds, as other animals, in a state of nature select their 
mates partly on account of their superior strength, &c., and partly 
on account of certain beauties pleasing to the eye. In addition to 
this the weaklings of each brood die, and those the plumage of 
which is least adapted for concealment from predatory animals, 
&c., fall a prey to their natural enemies. In both these ways the 
strength of the stock is kept up, and a particular type of plumage 
(that most pleasing to the eye of the other sex or that most suited 
for concealment from enemies) is perpetuated. “Artificial selec¬ 
tion ” is entirely different, and consists in the first instance in the 
arbitrary settling by man of certain features which he desires to 
perpetuate, and the perpetuation by artificial means of these 
features. 
Having said so much by way of explanation we come to the 
first great question, Is in-breeding desirable 1 Much has been 
written on both sides of this question, and many statistics have 
been prepared by the advocates of each view. Into these we shall 
not go, but the concise result of the whole matter seems to us to 
be this : In-breeding is not of itself injurious. In theory you 
might in-breed for ever and do no harm, subject only to the 
proviso that the original pair chosen for the experiment were 
entirely free from any disease or latent tendency to disease. In 
practice this proviso is so difficult to fulfil that success in extreme 
in-breeding is the exception and not the rule. The importance in 
practice of this consideration of perfect health may be demon¬ 
strated thus : We take two birds, A and B, both apparently in 
perfect health. A is the bird of the exact type which we desire 
to perpetuate, and from whom we mean to m-breed. A has a 
latent tendency to, say, liver disease. B has no such tendency. 
From the offspring of the union of A and B we select the bird 
most suited to our purpose and mate it with A. This bird is half 
A and half B. The progeny of this latter union are three-quarters 
A one-quarter B. One of these again is chosen and mated with 
A. The produce are seven-eighths A and only one-eighth B. We 
have thus a number of birds partaking very strongly of all the 
tendencies of A, and having these intensified by the fact that they 
have only one-eighth of any other blood to counteract these ten¬ 
dencies. The tendency to liver disease has probably been de¬ 
veloped by this into actual disease, and this is caused by the 
in-breeding. Had there been no in-breeding the young birds 
would only have had in them one-eighth of the blood of A and 
seven-eighths of various other letters of the alphabet, none of 
which probably had a tendency to liver disease. If both the 
original pair, A and B, happen to have tendencies towards the 
same disease the evil result will be arrived at all the more rapidly. 
It will be apparent, then, to our readers that however harmless 
in-breeding may be in theory, in practice the probability of evil 
resulting is most material. In future notes we shall endeavour 
to show that, notwithstanding this risk, the fancier can only hope 
for success by judicious in-breeding. 
Our apiarian department is with this number placed in con¬ 
nection with gardening, as more appropriate than associating it 
with the home farm and poultry sections of this Journal, and 
this arrangement will be continued in future under the heading 
of The Bee-keeper. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lafc. 51°32'40"N.; Long. 0° 8'0" W.; Altitude,111 feet. 
HATE. 
9 A.M. 
In the day. 
1880. 
• » 
Hygrome- 
Pi . 
O rrt 
Shade Tern- 
Radiation 
CJ 
Hee. 
ter. 
Is 
CL'— - O 
perature. 
Temperature. 
c$ 
Jan. 
JisS-i 
Q. )U2r-< 
In 
On 
r-4 *-» C3 
Hry. 
Wet. 
5o 
fH 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sun. 2(5 
29.712 
32.1 
30.9 
N.W. 
39.6 
37.8 
28.2 
48.6 
24.7 
0.140 
Mon. 27 
2H.295 
41.0 
4 .1 
w.s.w. 
39.(5 
47.8 
30.5 
48.0 
26.2 
0.238 
Tues. 28 
29.580 
51.5 
49.8 
s.w. 
39.8 
53.5 
38.5 
61.2 
38.0 
0.022 
Wed. 29 
29.480 
50.4 
48.5 
s.w. 
42.3 
51.4 
49.2 
51.3 
44.0 
0.532 
Thurs. 30 
29.374 
35.4 
35.0 
E. 
42.8 
43 5 
33.2 
49.3 
31.8 
0.050 
Friday 31 
30.037 
33.7 
82.4 
N. 
40.4 
36.2 
80.9 
67.2 
26.8 
Satur. 1 
30.359 
33.9 
33.4 
W. 
39.0 
41.8 
31.8 
46.3 
28.1 
— 
Means. 
29.692 
39.7 
38.6 
40.5 
44.6 
34.6 
53.1 
31.4 
0.982 
REMARKS. 
26th.—Overcast and cold, sunshine for a short time at noon; misty towards 
evening. 
27th.—Snow during night, which rapidly disappeared ; mild and rainy all day. 
28th.—Wet morning, clearing by noon ; damp and mild throughout. 
29th.—Mild and overcast with rain nearly all day ; very heavy rain in evening 
and high wind ; colder at night. ; at 11 p.m. fine and starlight. 
SOth.—Slight fog in morning, and ground white with snow from 7 till 9 A.M.; 
fair but cold rest of the day, with a glimpse of sunshine at 2 P.M. 
31st.—Morning fine, clear, and cold ; snow in forenoon ; bright sunshine from 
1 P.M. till 3 P.M., giving a good opportunity for seeing the solar eclipse. 
January 1,1881.—Cold, calm, and damp day ; dull and overcast in evening, but 
milder. 
A week of average temperature, but more than average rainfall. The total 
fall in the past year was 30’28 inches, which is about 5 inches above the average 
here.—G. J. SYMONS. 
